Rail joint



Jan. 5 w. F. WALKER RAIL JOINT Filed May 16:` 1925 summa Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

telstra-reve.

n in. wVWALxER, or v`smsnonrzVILLE, rENNfsYLvANIA.

' RAIL JINT.

To'fdll "whom ttf-may: concern:

Tlie it known tlrat-LIQ'VVIELIS FJWALKER, a citizen fof :the 'United F'States, residing rat 'Siesholtzvllle,iin'the y:county of Berks @and State-oflPennsylvania, have invented a new and usefiil :Rail Joint, `of which the following is ci-specification. Y

This invention aims 'to provide a novel meanswherebyfthe ends of-a pair ofrailroad rails, y"at AI,j oint, K may lbe, held securely against i being forced downwardly by the wheels "df :rollingstoe'lr. vGenerally lstated,

4theobject of the inventionfiisf to'fbridge railmakesuch fchanges Vas his `skill rmay suggest, without departing 2from the spi-rit of fthe' 1nvention.

*In the drawings -Figure 1 shows in'top' plan, al device-constructed. in accordance with the` inventionfparts beinginfsection; Figure 2is aside-.elevation lli'iggure is va cross section on'lthe iline 13443I of Figurer 2.

The numeral 1 marks fthe-xlmeetingfends of a pair of rail-roa'drails, each rail comprisinga ball 2,'a web `Brand a'flangel 4. fBridge bars are provided iand are-:equipped upon their upper and lower` edges with oppositely slantingY-.surfaces--Gawhich are disposed symf metrically with respect to a median longi tudinal plane A-B. Figure 3 shows that the bridge bars 5 are located on opposite sides of the webs 3 of the rail ends l, the inner slanting surfaces 6 of the bridge bars cooperating respectively, with the under surface of the ball 2 and with the upper surface of the flange 4. Adjacent to their ends, the bridge bars 5 are ysupplied with pairs of openings 7. Near to one end, each bridge bar 5 has vouter tapered recesses 8, and near to its opposite end, each bridge bar has inner tapered recesses 9, the recesses communieating with the openings 7 Owing to the fact that the recesses 8 and 9, located as described, are provided, 'and because the slanting surfaces 6 of the bridge bars are disposed symmetrically with respect to the the bridge bars 5. in `combination with 'thesaddles 11, .gives plane A-1:B, each bridge bar is capable of end'forend:reversal and axial'reversal. A

:The i device '1 comprises U=shaped fastening devices 10, such "as U-b'olts, @each including@ an intermediate portion, and arms. The arms of the respective'fastening devices'may be extended 'in' opposite directions through the webs 3 offthe rails, and through theopenings 7 of the bridge bars, as Figure lshows.

Betweenrv each. bridge bar e5 and :the 'intermediate portion of the correspondinglffaste'ning: device 10 i there is Y placed `a saddle 11, the y' saddle beingI in the'i'forin of f a detachable block, fitting closely within the ybend `ofthe fastening device, andprovided upon itsf'outerfend andon its sidewith aseatlQ, which, receiving the `intermediate portion \.or *bend of Athe 'fastening J device, aids 'inholding the saddle in place. The upperandllowersun faces of the saddle 11 diverge, asindicated atf14. This'givesthesaddle11 a broad and firmibearing `basetoengage the outerfsurface of 'the bridge lbar-"5.

Nuts -15 or other securing elements are mountedronthe arms ofthe fastening devices 10 land have @taperedends 16 `Awhich are'freceived 1rotatably in the outer vrecesses 8 of This `detail, especially the ifasten-ing @devices a Vsecure lhold on the bridge bars 5 and causes the inners'lan'ting surfaces d5 "of tlie kbridge bars `to cooperate properly @with ithe ballQ-and the flange 4 ofeach'rail end. lt is to be observed that thebridge b'ars 5 have noflfateralfflan'ges at their :lower f edges. fSuch "lateral flanges, .although: promoting flateral :stability where lateral 'stability -Sis niet necessary, Ltend to cause a spreading of the rail joint under superposed load.

The device forming the subject matter of this application bridges railroad rail joints in such a manner that the rail treads will remain on the same plane, and the rails distribute tlie wheel loads uniformly to all of the cross ties, low joints being done away with.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, rails each including a ball, a web, and a flange, the lower surface of the ball and the up er surface of the flange converging inwar ly, bridge bars having inwardly converging edges cooperating with said surfaces of the ball and of the flange, the bridge bars being spaced from the web, fastening devices including arms and an intermediate portion, the arms passing through the bridge bars and the webs, saddles within the securing devices and engaging one bridge bar, the saddles completely filling the space defined by said bridge bar and the. arms and the intermediate portion of the fastening devices, means for holding the saddles against movement within the fastening devices, and nuts on the arms and engaging the other bridge bar, the nuts having rounded ends, and said other bridge bar having concaved recesses receiving the rounded ends of the nuts.

2. In a rail joint, bridge bars; a fastening device con'iprising arms and an intermediate portion joining the arms, the arms extending through the bridge bars, a saddle located between one bridge bar and the intermediate portion of the fastening device, the saddle having a seat wherein the intermediate portion of the fastening device is received; and securing elements on the arms of the fastening device, the securing elements comprising tapered parts, and the other bridge bar having tapered recesses wherein the tapered parts of the securing elements are received.

3. In a rail joint, bridge bars; fastening devices each comprising arms and an intermediate portion joining the arms, the arms of the respective fastening devices extending in opposite directions through the bridge bars; and a saddle located between each bridge bar and the intermediate portion of one fastening device, each saddle having a seat wherein the intermediate portion of the corresponding fastening device is received.

4. In a fail joint, bridge bars; fastening devices each comprising arms and an intermediate portion joining the arms, the arms of the respective fastening devices extending in opposite directions through the bridge bars; a saddle located between each bridge bar and the intermediate portion of one fastening device; and securing elements on the arms of the fastening devices, the securing elements comprising tapered parts, the bridge bars having tapered recesses wherein the tapered parts of the securing elements are received.

5. In a rail joint, bridge bars; fastening devices each comprising arms and an intermediate portion joining the arms, the arms of the respective fastening devices extending in opposite directions through the bridge bars; a saddle located between each bridge bar and the intermediate portion of one fastening' device, each saddle having a seat wherein the intermediate portion of the corresponding fastening device is received; and securing elements on the arms of the fastening devices, the securing elements comprising tapered parts, the bridge bars having tapered recesses wherein the tapered parts of the securing elements are received.

(i, In a rail joint, bridge bars; fastening devices each comprising arms and an intermediate portion joining the arms, the arms of the respective fastening devices eXtending in opposite directions through the bridge bars; a saddle located between each bridge bar and the intermediate portion of one fastening device; and securing elements on the arms of the fastening devices, each bridge bar being provided on its inner surface with recesses, and being provided upon its outer surface with recesses, the securing elements having parts received rotatably in the outer recesses, each bridge bar being supplied on its upper and lower edges with oppositely slanting surfaces which are disposed symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal plane, the symmetrical disposition of said surfaces, and the provision of the inner recesses, permitting both an axial and an end-for-end reversal of each bridge bar.

In testimony that I ciaim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

VILLIS F. WALKER.

Cil 

